Cleveland Guardians Call Up Longtime Minor Leaguer, a Former 1st-Round Pick

Infielder Will Wilson, a Rule 5 pick by the Guardians, will get his first crack at the major leagues.

Richmond Flying Squirrels Shortstop Will Wilson is late with the tag as RubberDucks' Milan Tolentino safely steals second base during their game at Canal Park in Akron on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Akron, Ohio. | Mike Cardew / USA TODAY NETWORK

Will Wilson is getting his long-awaited shot at the big leagues.

On Tuesday, the Cleveland Guardians selected his contract from Triple-A Columbus, one of three moves they made in advance of the second game of their three-game series against the New York Yankees.

They also put outfielder Lane Thomas (wrist) on the 10-day injured list and transferred right-hander Trevor Stephan (elbow) to the 60-day IL.

We have some moves ahead of tonight’s game against the Yankees. #GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/1t1DhuC8Zw

— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) April 22, 2025

Wilson, 26, will be making his major league debut when he enters a game for the Guardians. In 18 games at Triple-A Columbus this season, Wilson has a .324 average with six home runs and 18 RBIs.

The Los Angeles Angels selected the infielder in the first round (No. 15 overall) of the 2019 MLB Draft out of North Carolina State and signed him for $3.4 million.

His time in the Angels organization was brief, however.

Just six months later, the Angels traded him and veteran infielder Zack Cozart to the San Francisco Giants for a player to be named later. Wilson was the player the Giants wanted, but they agreed to take on Cozart and more than $12 million in salary as the Angeles sought to cut payroll and use the cash on free agents.

WIlson wound his way through the Giants’ system and, because of his amount of service time in the minor leagues without being placed on a 40-man roster, he was eligible for the Rule 5 draft last December.

The Guardians chose him, and general manager Chris Antonetti hinted a call-up could be coming.

“He’s a former first-round pick and a guy that we felt has had a lot of skills in the past,” Antonetti said Sunday, according to MLB.com. “And we thought it was worth taking a chance on the Rule 5 Draft. In the time that he's come to the organization, Will has just sought to take advantage of every resource possible to try to improve in every facet of his game.

“He had a great spring training with us, and he's off to a great start in Columbus.”

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